Northwestern Offers Intriguing 2026 Forward, Battling Big Ten Opponents
Chris Collins' five-man class of incoming freshmen this fall ranks No. 23 in the nation, and fresh off of a long-term extension, the Northwestern head coach is looking to make a similar splash with his 2026 recruiting class.
The Wildcats' staff has been busy on the recruiting trail, and on Monday afternoon, NU joined the battle for a highly coveted forward. Northwestern officially offered 6-foot-10, 195-pound power forward Quinn Costello, who has interest from several top basketball programs.
The Boston native announced his offer from Collins and assistant coach Shane Southwell in a social media post.
"Excited to announce that I have received a Division 1 offer from Northwestern University!" Costello wrote. "I’m grateful to Coach Collins, Coach Southwell, and the rest of the staff for this opportunity. Go Wildcats!!"
Excited to announce that I have received a Division 1 offer from Northwestern University! I’m grateful to Coach Collins, Coach Southwell, and the rest of the staff for this opportunity. Go Wildcats!! pic.twitter.com/7iOitOuDue
— Quinn Costello (@quinncostello3) June 16, 2025
Costello is the No. 5 prospect in Massachusetts, ranking 128th nationally from On3 and 144th from 247 Sports. He has been in high demand from Big Ten teams lately and has received offers from Illinois, Iowa, Purdue, Michigan State, Michigan, Maryland and Northwestern since the beginning of June. Outside of the conference, Costello has also been offered by Texas, Texas A&M, Syracuse, Virginia and Notre Dame.
Northwestern has recruited heavily in the Northeast in recent years. Last year's roster featured players that Collins signed from Massachusetts (Jordan Clayton and Luke Hunger), Connecticut (Blake Barkley) and Pennsylvania (Blake Smith), along with transfers Jalen Leach and Keenan Fitzmorris, who played high school basketball in New Hampshire. Former point guard Boo Buie is also from New York and played at Gould Academy in Maine.
According to Rivals, Costello is the seventh player and third forward that Northwestern has offered in the Class of 2026. Collins has yet to land a recruit yet, as it's still early in the cycle, but the Wildcat coach has already thrown his hat in the ring for several top 100 players.
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Gavin Dorsey is the Lead Writer for Northwestern Wildcats On SI and covers a handful of other teams in the On SI network. Before joining On SI in February 2025, he wrote for the Star Tribune and Inside NU while broadcasting college sports for both radio and television. Dorsey is a graduate of Northwestern's Medill School of Journalism, where he also studied psychology. In his free time, he enjoys running and being outdoors. Dorsey is currently a freelance writer for the Associated Press, covering Chicago area sports teams.